Ten expert tips for successful macro photography

Thomas Shahan's tips for successful macro photography

Thomas Shahan is a macro photographer and artist from Tulsa Oklahoma who specializes in entomology and traditional relief printmaking.

Thomas's interest in macro photography began when he started watching jumping spiders in his backyard. After studying art at the University of Oklahoma, he left for Oregon to work in the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s entomology lab. There, he worked as a digital imaging specialist, taking high magnification focus-stacked photographs and SEM images of arthropods - good practice for macro photography.

In this article, Thomas shares advice for successful closeup photography of bugs, insects and small animals. Click through for his top tips, and be sure to check out the video we made with Thomas recently, embedded at the bottom of each page.

We recently spent a couple of days with Thomas down in Ketchum Idaho, to get a feel for how he approaches one of the most challenging kinds of photography there is - macro shots of bugs and small animals.

Tried to photograph some red ants the other day, boy they are fast moving. Couldn't catch anything in focus. I used 1 inch sensor compact and still the DOF was just too shallow. Will try my P&S for comparison next time but don't keep my hopes high. Should I try using bait food to slow them down?

Years ago there was a popular video commercial. I am a bit foggy on this. A young girl had a butterfly on her nose for several seconds. Then it flew away. Days later, I learned the trick to force a butterfly to remain stationary (on a human nose!!!) for a few seconds.The photographer had a collection of butterflies. Each rested in it own compartment stored for a brief period in a refrigerator. There is a limit on how long a bug can survive in a cold fridge. There is also a limit on how long the bug or butterfly will remain stationary after being exposed to warm air.

The setup has changed throughout the years, but here is my two basic setups. The shots in 2015 and some in 2016 were done with an Olympus E-M5 and E-M1. Mounted to the body was an adapted Minolta MD 85mm 1.7 (35mm film lens) and then reverse mounted on the front of the Minolta was a 50mm 1.4 Olympus film lens. This gave me a 3.4:1 macro magnification on a micro 4/3 sensor (if you wanted to compare it to a full frame sensor you would be getting 6.8:1 magnification). At this extreme macro magnification the acceptable focus (depth of field) is just a sliver of the frame. I focus well before the flake then, with the camera set to 5FPS, continually change the focus till the whole flake has been passed over with frames of various "slivers" of the in focus. Some of these flakes have over fifty individual shots. I then import, align and blend all the images in Photoshop. Photoshop doesn't do a perfect job. I then spend hours and hours editing to get the final image.

My latest setup is the Olympus E-M1 and the Olympus 60mm macro lens, plus three stacked extension tubes (47mm worth) to get me the same amount of magnification as my old setup. Since these tubes have all the electrical contacts for the body to talk to the lens I can use the E-M1's focus bracketing mode to take up to 999 shots of stepped focus shifts. I still spend hours and hours doing the post work.

For real macro shots, I find Canon's MP-E65mm is hard to beat. Just put it on the cheapest DSLR body and even a single diffused 430EX can give great results. Lighting technique in macro is quite challenging, but once you start to understand how light behaves, you can get excellent results with a much cheaper set up. My shots on flickr:https://www.flickr.com/photos/100085119@N03/

Great works. How can you approach without scared off the bugs? When I move in within with my camera and tripods, my hands shake like a falling leaf, the bugs are long gone. And it just take me too much time to focus.

lauarvic, here you are seeing only the good shots! Approximately, only 1 in 10 would be an "acceptable" result. And then you can only get another 1 out of the 10 left that would be "great", so patience here is much more important than any piece of equipment you may have! With experience, you will be able to approach most bugs without disturbing them, and early morning and late evening is the best time when most insects will slow down.

Thing is, you don't even need a cheap DSLR. The MP-E65 is usable on just about any body (mirrorless or otherwise) with a suitable lens adapter. I have it attached permanently to an A7R via Metabones and the results are very impressive.Some examples, recently uploaded to a Flickr album:https://www.flickr.com/photos/125568161@N04/albums/72157684051416024

Hi Wilky, very nice portfolio you have! My point is that the camera body is second to the lens, and you agreed with me. Still a Canon DSLR like thee 1200D is about a third the price of the A7R, you don't need an adaptor, and you still get excellent results.

Smaller apertures create a type of overall image degradation called diffusion, which is a softening of detail throughout the image. If you looked at lens charts, you'd know that 99% of lenses lose image quality as they are stopped down, some lenses from the widest aperture, but more generally the image quality begins to sharply decline much beyond f8. In my experience, only one out of five hundred shots at smaller(higher numbers) apertures than f11 is worth printing or showing off or selling. This optical diffusion issue is significantly worse with digital sensors than it was with film, where f16 was the everyday sunny day aperture. I never shoot the sunny 16 rule anymore.

Must you post pictures of spiders front and centre on the home page having these creatures pop out in living colour. Surely there are other bugs available. Or was this for shock value. We're not all arachnid lovers. Quite the opposite for yours truly. I'm sure I'm not alone.

They are lovely in their own world. I have been studying and shooting them for many decades. And just remember if there no spiders the other insects we don't like would have taken over the world long ago.

Well, yes. I found my nex7 24mp aps-c easier to use for macro than my latest sony a7r full frame for small lively bugs. I always use HS fill flash on both. But my nikkor 105mm micro lens on the nex7 gets the same frame filling picture as the full frame, but from a larger distance. Therefore at the same aperture it will have more DOF, and because of the longer practical working distance it is easier to light without causing shadows or black spots when using flash.To increase the working distance, I use a 2x teleconverter which obviously loses two stops . I am still experimenting with both, but I definitely would have liked a 200mm macro for bugs on the full frame (or even on aps-c) and shoot at f32 and use lots of flash. (Increased DOF in some cases is more important than avoiding a bit of diffraction, especially to absorb some focus errors (all manual and no tripod))

Taking lots of pictures is definitely the best tip. Nothing worse than getting back and discovering lots of antennae out of focus.

I also have a suggestion - in some circumstances going wider angle and very close can work well for the depth of field. (Assuming you can get close.) Especially on a crop sensor.

E.g. I went photographing butterflies recently and they would sit on bushes a lot. I had the 5Dsr with the 100 L macro but I actually found an easier solution was the RX100V at 24mm (equivalent, it's actually 8.8mm, which is important) at very close distances (working distance is 5cm at wide end, that's the min distance from the front of the lens to the subject). Just an occasional option, but really speeded things up!Assuming the sensor is 6cm from the lens front at the wide end, which is a guesstimate, then the DoF is 18mm at closest focus (f5.6, CofC 0.011).

Nice article... though I don't think it explains the unique look of Thomas' pictures. Like the point of view which appears to be below the spider's eyes...

Then, when I look at Thomas' pictures, especially on his web site, it impresses me most, that he somehow manages to get a smooth, colored background behind these highly active jumping spiders. I don't think it is "Made in PS"...

I understand how he diffuses flash light... but I don't get how he fixes these backgrounds. Maybe he has got three arms, one twice as long as the other two, holding a colored sheet behind the spiders? :-)

Kind of a low information. What was the flash? What was that fiber optic reflector diffuser thing? Just a lot of stuff about how easy it is, w/o giving any useful tips. "Shoot w/a small f-stop." I never w/h figured that out on my own.

My favorite macro subjects are whatever criiters are in my yard. That includes dragonflies, anoles, spiders, and carpenter bees. A tripod is of little use because my subjects rarely sit still for me. A monopod is sometimes useful to provide a base to move back and forth to get the exact focus. I will try using some kind of flash to get more DoF. My concern is that, except for spiders, one hit of the flash will send them running.

Does anyone happen to know if macro lenses are as subject to diffraction at higher apertures as normal primes? Is there anything about the optics of a macro lens that changes that relationship and, if so, how?

Diffraction is caused by ... light. If you are creating an image with light, you will get diffraction. It doesn't matter what kind of lens you use, you've still got diffraction, and it's the same for all lenses.

The difference with macro photography is that the depth of field is so shallow that you may want to accept a bit more diffraction than usual, in order to get a picture that is better focus overall.

But these tiny jumping spiders are harmless. I'm not normally a fan of big spiders, but I consider the tiny jumping spider to be one of my favorite species. They have a certain curiosity of the lens in front of them and therefore tend to pose for you. They come in various wonderful colors.

Haha, Barney, that's definitely the European perspective on spiders :-) I once visited Madagascar with a mostly European group, and we (read: those without arachnophobia) definitely needed the local guide and some Australian group members to remind us that not ALL spiders are harmless...

@barney: not all spiders are harmless, saying so is quite negligent. sure they wont kill a healthy adult human but they sure can make you regret the decision. also learning about behaviour of subjects is the best idea.

Sydney funnel-web spiders can definitely kill though there have been no recorded fatalities since the introduction of anti-venom. A bite must be treated as a medical emergency. Some of the other funnel-web species are no laughing matter either, though they are not encountered so often.

You could probably cuddle with that Grammostola though it probably wouldn't enjoy it much. No recorded deaths but few people cuddle with Poecilotheria or Stromatopelma or anything from Asia or Africa really (no urticating hairs as a primary means of defence beyond running away means a more direct attitude and venom vs their American brethren).

It does seem that repeat exposure to the urticating hairs of American bird spiders tend to cause increased sensitivity so the motto is: pretty beyond glass and interesting times when glass insides need to be cleaned.

@Greg VdB ... "...to remind us that not ALL spiders are harmless..."Very true. For example, the black widow spider (lots of them in Arizona).Get quickly to the nearest emergency room if you get bit by one of them.

Pretty sure the author isnt an idiot who would put a deadly poisonous spider on his finger. These comments read a bit like "omg, is that a flying insect [say, a long legged fly] on his finger? eww. what if it was an Asian hornet, they're deadly"

I quite like the spider shots, the lizard and the cool looking eyes of the hoverfly (I have always liked the markings of flies like hoverflies, even if I get bitten by hoverflies quite often! in the summer!), but the cockroach in 10 is practically out of focus as is most of the bess beetle in 5. Really those two needed much more DOF to be useful as unless you only want a very small area in focus for a reason, with macro you'd really want to have much more in focus than that.

I downloaded the cockroach shot to more easily pixel peep, and also took a look at the EXIF.

It looks like the point of focus was slightly in front of the subject's body, leaving nothing but a part of the antennae sharp.

It was shot at f/13, so it does a good job of demonstrating just how tiny the depth of field is when shooting close-up on such a large sensor. For a subject like that, even the 120mm Fuji's f/32 minimum aperture probably wouldn't be enough to get it all in focus.

To make macro photography with a Fuji GFX you need to rent a giant insect or to crop heavily your picture. That's why Canon have some success with the MP 65 1x-5x lens... and automatic focus stacking is a dream with Olympus...

Really? I have a few photos taken with a Hasselblad 553ELX and a 120mm Makro Planar with tubes at 1:1 magnification. I guess that doesn't count as medium format macro photography? Maybe it just counts as macro photography? ;-)

Indeed. Many years ago in another life I often photograhed sample slices of various materials very close up - maybe 2:1 or so - using a monorail 5x4 camera, for archival reference purposes. No problem at all :-)

My grandfather used to make macros with a Rolleiflex SL66, a 6x6 medium format camera. With this system all the lenses can be mountes reverse without any adapter and the body has build in bellows and ability to tilt from 0° to 8°.

Really????? why dont you check his older pics taken with an old pentax and a reversed 50mm macro....blows u away. the guy has tons of talent.....something u probably totally lack. Tired of all u trolls without any photgraphic knowledege.

But your mobile device will show you a mobile version of a site automatically if present. That does not work vice versa. My browser at my nonmobile an not-so-much mobile deivces will show me the ugly mobile version and I have to edit out the .m out of the URL by hand to get the normal version.

Crop from cheap gear (cheap is equal to small sensors) mean result is garbage.

Crop from expensive gear is equal to wasted money in amongh of how many percents were cropped. Why to use large and very expensive sensor (and lens too) when more than 50% of its area is thrown away... It doesn't make sense (not only from economic side but from technical quality too).

Huge crop is indicator that inappropriate gear was used. It is not about successful macro shot. It is about: next time i have to use other gear for successful macro shot.

Any semi translucent neutral coloured material will work, such as copier paper, cheap plastic bag, vellum paper. If you want to be posh you can purchase sheets of Lee lighting filter paper with specific diffusion strengths.

I wish I had Fujifilm GFX 50S and 120mm f4 to try macro photography, don't laugh at me, that is the point of the video, and most buyers of this expensive thing are that kind of people, please help, I went to a camera store and told them what is the best camera right now, they told me Canon 5DIII, and what is the best portrait lens? it is Canon 85/1.2II, so I bought them, but I am very disappointed, everything is blurry, my cell phone was much better.

Small insider tip, there is no "best camera", only a most profitable for the shop, or favorite of the seller. For your best camera they would need to know your interests, skill level, willingness to carry gear around etc. The best camera is a medium format with some amazingly expensive glass, think multiple car's worth, then again for someone else the best camera is an iPhone, or something in between. Key thing though, for any camera, it takes time (and study) to get the most out of it

I'm always really impressed with Thomas Shahan's work. Most of it's shot in the field, rather than taking subjects into a more controlled mini-studio as seen in that video.

He's someone I point to when people claim that macro photography always requires a tripod, or that high-end gear is needed to take decent macro shots. Of course he's showing off a rather expensive camera here, but the results he gets with his old Pentax DSLR and DIY lighting are every bit as impressive.

My vote for best lepidoptera (butterfly and moths) macro photography (and many other insects too) would be Adrian Hoskins. His website where you can find the images: http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/

The FUJINON GF 45mm F2.8 R WR is a 36mm equivalent fast prime for Fujifilm's GFX 50S. We've been shooting with one for a few days, and we're impressed. Check out our sample gallery to judge for yourself.

Fujifilm will be releasing firmware updates for six cameras in April in May. The cameras include the GFX 50S, X-H1, X-T2, X-Pro2, X-E3 and X100F, with the X-T2 gaining the most features, such as focus bracketing, high speed video recording and improved phase detect AF performance.

Many cameras today include built-in image stabilization systems, but when it comes to video that's still no substitute for a proper camera stabilization rig. The Ronin-S aims to solve that problem for DSLR and mirrorless camera users, and we think DJI has delivered on that promise.

Latest buying guides

If you're looking for a high-quality camera, you don't need to spend a ton of cash, nor do you need to buy the latest and greatest new product on the market. In our latest buying guide we've selected some cameras that while they're a bit older, still offer a lot of bang for the buck.

What's the best camera for under $500? These entry level cameras should be easy to use, offer good image quality and easily connect with a smartphone for sharing. In this buying guide we've rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing less than $500 and recommended the best.

Whether you've grown tired of what came with your DSLR, or want to start photographing different subjects, a new lens is probably in order. We've selected our favorite lenses for Sony mirrorlses cameras in several categories to make your decisions easier.

Whether you've grown tired of what came with your DSLR, or want to start photographing different subjects, a new lens is probably in order. We've selected our favorite lenses for Canon DSLRs in several categories to make your decisions easier.

Professional commercial photographer Moe Lauchert shares an incredible gallery of film photographs he captured on Ilford HP5 with a Nikonos 5 while serving as a diver at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas.

We've been shooting with a beta version of the Sony a9's upcoming firmware 5.0. While there's much more analysis to come, we can say it makes for a dead simple AF tracking user experience. Take a look at some of our samples.

The Tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4 is a compact and light-weight lens for full-frame Canon and Nikon DSLRs. We took it on grand tour of Seattle's top tourist spots and found it makes a pleasant, albeit wide, walking around lens.

Fujifilm has announced its new GF 100-200mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR tele-zoom lens. The lens, equivalent to 79-158mm when mounted on a GFX camera, has image stabilization (with a claimed 5 stops of shake reduction), a linear AF motor and weather-sealing.

Amongst all of the camera news yesterday, Sony also announced its new Imaging Edge mobile app, which replaces PlayMemories Mobile. Three desktop applications have also been updated, adding support for time-lapse movie creation.

Our intrepid team is in San Diego, for the launch of the new Sony a6400. In this short overview video, Carey, Chris and Jordan talk through the main specifications of the new camera, and what they might mean for photographers and videographers.

The Sony a6400 is the company's new midrange mirrorless camera, whose standout features include an advanced autofocus system, flip-up touchscreen LCD and oversampled 4K footage with Log support. Learn more as we go hands-on with the a6400.

Sony has announced major firmware updates for the a7R III, a7 III and a9. All three cameras gain improved Eye-AF, the ability to recognize and focus on animals' eyes, and timelapse capability. The a9 gets more sophisticated subject tracking.